The invention relates to sensor arrays, which are used on motor vehicles for optically supported detection of operating gestures or operating actions.
In particular, the invention relates to sensor arrays, which can detect and evaluate temporally and spatially resolved optical data, in order to identify the operating intentions of a user.
Optical methods are known in the prior art that detect actuations in reaction to an evaluation of image data, and subsequently trigger switching operations, for example. By way of example, automatic video evaluations of monitoring systems are to be specified here, which identify patterns or movements from individual images or a series of images. Furthermore, numerous other optically supported systems are known, wherein the most fundamental of them comprise electric eyes or brightness sensors. Optical systems with greater complexity frequently make use of a grid or array of optically sensitive detection units, usually referred to as pixels, which record parallel optical data, designed as CMOS arrays, for example.
DE 10 2008 025 669 A1 discloses an optical sensor, which detects a gesture, upon which a closing element of a vehicle is automatically moved.
WO 2008/116699 A2 relates to an optical sensor chip and concerns an optical clamping protection device for monitoring a window, sliding door or a hatch in a motor vehicle.
WO 2012/084222 A1 discloses an optical sensor for actuating and the monitoring of a closing element.
Because gesture control is experiencing increasingly greater acceptance in many technical fields pertaining to user interaction, it has also been attempted to use such purely optical systems for the detection of user intentions in motor vehicles. With these systems, the registration of operations via capacitive systems still predominates, however.
DE 10 2011 089 195 A1 discloses a system for the contact-less detection of objects and operating gestures with an optically supported device of a type that is similar to that which can also be used for the invention.
The known systems normally require more structural space than the capacitive systems in terms of the optical components and more complex electronics.
The object of the invention is to provide an improved, compact optical sensor system for the operating control of access systems for vehicles.